Procedures

1

Combine beans, chiles, and cilantro in a small bowl. Spoon mixture into jalapeño halves. Set aside.

2

Combine flour and 1 tablespoon salt in a medium bowl. Add 1 cup water and whisk to combine. Mixture should have consistency of thick pancake batter. Place bread crumbs in a second bowl. Working one at a time, coat jalapeños in flour mixture. Allow excess to drip off then transfer to bread crumbs. Coat evenly in bread crumbs and transfer to a large plate. Repeat with remaining jalapeños.

3

Heat oil to 350°F. Fry jalapeños 9 at a time, agitating occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season with salt (jalapeños can be held in a 200°F oven while frying second batch). Serve immediately with salsa.

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About the Author

J. Kenji López-Alt is the Managing Culinary Director of Serious Eats, and author of the James Beard Award-nominated column The Food Lab, where he unravels the science of home cooking. A restaurant-trained chef and former Editor at Cook's Illustrated magazine, he is the author of upcoming The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science, to be released by W. W. Norton.